Under A Spell
by JackiLeigh
Summary: This is part 6 of this series. Neal is having horrible, vivid dreams and calls on the brothers for help. Neal whumpage.


Under A Spell

**AN: I make a 'Supernatural' reference here to one of my favorite episodes. I am not sure the name of the episode, and think it was somewhere in the first 3 seasons. It is the episode in which Sam and Dean 'jump' into Bobby's dream while Bobby was in the hospital in a coma. I don't remember what they called it. But I am going to make up my own name for it. Enjoy.**

Neal was beginning to think that Mozzie's latest theft had been a horrible mistake. But Mozzie just couldn't help himself. The traveling museum had been too easy a pick. It was outside Neal's range so Mozzie felt free to go for it.

The piece of interest had been an amulet claimed to be carried by a warrior in the Crusades. It was a beautiful, green emerald held in forged iron. The patina was amazing and seemed to make the emerald glow with a light all its own.

But in the past few days Neal had had it in his place, he had been feeling…strange. He was not a man to dream. But now, he was dreaming wild, somewhat scary things. He was dressed in Crusade warrior attire, and he was fighting with a sword. It happened in every dream and in the same way. Neal would be out in the middle of some field with his comrades. And all the sudden he would just stop fighting. He would stop and look down at his chest. Each time he would see a sword sticking out of it. It then would register. It had happened so fast, and the sword had been so sharp, that there was not a great deal of pain. Neal would then look into the face of his killer. Seconds later the man, with a quick jerk, would pull the sword from Neal's body. That part, the pulling out, however, was extremely painful. Neal would then fell to the ground, dead.

Only the dream never really lasted long enough for Neal to fall to the ground. It only lasted until Neal looked into the face of his killer. But Neal, in the dream, knew that he was dead. His brain had already figured it out. His body just needed to catch up.

After each episode Neal would pull himself out of the dream sitting straight up in his bed and looking wildly around. He was always relieved to find himself at home in his bed. But the dreams were so vivid, so real. His heart would pound. He would be soaked in sweat. And he would have to look down at his chest, each time, to confirm that he had truly not been stabbed. He would even feel the residual pain of the sword being removed from his body.

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Peter noticed the change in his C.I. He had picked Neal up at home. He could tell the young man was not sleeping. And he had now counted, for the fifth time, that Neal had rubbed his hand over his face and through his hair.

"Neal, what's…what's going on with you?" Peter asked.

Neal sighed and cleared his throat. "…not sleeping…I've had some wild, vivid dreams. He answered honestly.

Peter didn't expect such an open honest answer, and he was speechless for a moment.

"Mind if I ask what's so wild and vivid?" Peter ventured.

Neal shook his head. "They just…the details seem to vanish as soon as I wake up." That part was completely untrue. The images were scaringly vivid. Just as frightening in the light of day as they were in the darkness of Neal's apartment. At times he would find himself reaching down and rubbing his chest where the sword in his dreams had pierced it.

Peter watched as Neal rubbed his chest. Peter then turned his attention back to navigating the car through traffic.

"Maybe it's just a bad case of heartburn." Peter suggested.

Neal huffed out a breath. "I _wished_ that that was the case."

Neal's statement had Peter completely confused. But he decided not to pursue it. Peter did, however, file it away for later.

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"I think it will help, Hon." Peter told El as they enjoyed lunch in a restaurant about a mile from FBI headquarters.

"How is Neal coming over to the house and us feeding him going to help him sleep?" El asked as she ate her meal.

"It's not. But it could help relieve his stress. The last few weeks we have been working case after case, weekends too, as you know. Maybe that will help him sleep. Maybe he is just so stressed he doesn't even realize it." Peter explained.

"I would be glad to have Neal over anytime. You know that. You don't need an excuse. It…I just hope it helps him." El replied.

Peter sighed. "Me too, El, me too."

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Neal was not his usual talkative self at supper. And he pushed his food around on his plate, even though he did end up managing to eat the most of it. He, at El's direction, went into the living room and collapsed onto the couch. Peter and El made fresh coffee and cut the cake for desert as Neal made himself comfortable. Neal ate his cake and drank his coffee. Peter helped El clean the kitchen so that the chore would go faster. But the time they were finished it was late, and Neal had fallen asleep on their couch. El took the throw off the back of the couch and spread it over Neal's sleeping body. She and Peter then headed upstairs to bed.

Peter opened his eyes and looked at the clock. It was 3:18 a.m. He tried to figure out what he was listening too when he remembered that they had left Neal asleep on the couch downstairs. Peter threw the covers back and got up out of the bed. He then heard it again, it was somewhere between a whimper and a moan. He stood at the top of the stairs for just a moment. Then he saw Neal sit straight up on the couch. Neal was wide-eyed. and Peter could tell he was not sure where he was. Peter hurried down the stairs. He was followed closely by El, who had been woken up by Peter getting up out of the bed.

"Neal? Neal!" Peter said as he knelt down in front of Neal. He was hesitant to touch Neal, unsure how he would react. Neal was still, it seemed, in the midst of his nightmare.

El knelt down beside Peter. She called Neal's name also, much with the same response.

Seconds later the fog lifted. And Neal stared at them both. He realized where he was and what had happened. And he was embarrassed. Neal then moved his hand to his chest. He rubbed the site where the phantom sword entered every night in his dreams.

Peter recognized and remembered the action. He sat down on the couch beside Neal. El went into the kitchen to get Neal something cold to drink. She came back with a glass of milk. She tried to hand it to Neal, but then she saw how badly his hands were shaking. She wrapped her hand around his and helped him take a swallow.

"Thank you." Neal said. His heart had quit pounding in his ears and his chest had stopped hurting. His hair was, however, slicked back with sweat and his shirt was clinging to his body. He wanted, desperately, to take a shower and wash it all away.

"Neal…?" Peter started.

Neal looked at Peter. He knew what Peter wanted to know. But he also knew Peter would not understand.

Neal had told Mozzie to come get the amulet just the day before. But Mozzie had balked saying it had some bad mojo attached to it. Mozzie said after one night of crazy dreams he gave it to Neal for safe keeping. Mozzie hadn't really thought there was a connection. But since Neal had told him about his nightmares the connection was clear.

The amulet could not be sold. It was all over the news about the theft, plus there were pictures of the amulet. It was a bad thing to have in one's possession for that reason alone. The fact that the thing was somehow…haunted only made it that much worse. And, of course, Peter could know none of this information until after the fact.

"It's all the cases we've been working, Peter. I just…my mind won't rest. I guess my body is staging a protest." Neal explained, hoping Peter would believe him and not question.

Peter nodded, but he knew there was more too it. His gut was practically shouting the fact to him.

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"Why are you making me relive this?" Neal asked Sam and Dean as he paced his apartment.

"We need the details. We need to know what exactly happened. That is the only way we can help, Neal."

Neal stopped pacing and nodded. He went over to his cupboard and poured himself a glass of wine. He sat the bottle back down on the counter, then hesitated. He picked the bottle up again. He brought both his glass and the bottle to the table and sat down.

Neal went through his dream as carefully and completely as possible. He described the field he was fighting in. He described his attire, and that of the warriors he was fighting. He described the sword he was using and even the handle of the sword that killed him.

Neal was halfway through the bottle when he finished. He looked at the brothers and waited for an explanation.

"Well?" Neal asked when they were not forthcoming.

Dean hesitated. "Well, it's…."

Sam chimed in. "It's complicated."

"Meaning what…exactly?" Neal asked.

"You're not going to like it." Sam replied.

"I don't like this, Sam. I cannot live the rest of my life afraid to go to sleep…imprisoned by these horrible, vivid images of my own death." Neal explained.

"We don't think it was you dying here, Neal." Dean stated. "Do you remember if you were wearing the amulet in the nightmare?"

Neal thought…hard, but he just could not remember. He shook his head.

"We believe your ancestor's blood was shed on the amulet. And for lack of a better word, the amulet soaked it up." Sam explained.

"It's an emerald, a rock. How can that even happen?" Neal asked.

"We're not sure, but we do think it's possible." Dean replied. "Where is it by the way?"

Neal got up from his table without a word. He opened his apartment door and started downstairs to the first floor. Sam and Dean followed. Neal removed a panel in the wall behind June's piano, took out the amulet, and then replaced the panel.

"I couldn't have it upstairs. I couldn't risk Peter finding it." Neal explained.

"Has it affected anyone else in the house?" Sam asked.

Neal shook his head. He really didn't think so. June not said anything about any nightmares or strange dreams.

"Good." Dean said. "And we think we have a solution, but as I said before. You aren't going to like it."

"What is it, Dean?" Neal demanded. "What is it?"

"We are going to have to 'dream jump.'" Sam replied.

"You…what?" Neal asked, completely confused.

"You are going to go to sleep. We perform a ritual and then we join you in the dream." Dean said matter-of-factly.

Neal stared at them both. They had been looked at like that before. But when a friend did it, it was so much more disturbing. "What!"

"That's it." Dean stated.

"You make it sound like you're going to the store to pick up a carton of milk." Neal replied.

"Well, we have done it before." Dean said.

"…once." Sam admitted.

"It worked the last time." Dean said, justifying his attitude.

Neal sighed. "Okay, okay. Peter knows something's wrong. He could tell I hadn't been sleeping. He and El asked me over for supper one night. I fell asleep on their couch, and they got to see it, firsthand. I can't just keep making excuses to Peter. He doesn't believe me. He's becoming impatient."

Both Sam and Dean nodded.

"What do you need me to do?" Neal asked.

"Just go to sleep, Neal." Sam replied. "Dean and I will take care of the rest."

Neal got ready for bed. He slipped under the covers and was, amazingly, asleep by the time the brothers performed the ritual.

"We don't know that this will work, Dean." Sam replied. Their thought had been if they performed the ritual together while physically touching the amulet it would draw them into Neal's nightmare. Moments later they were on the battlefield Neal had described.

Sam and Dean looked down at themselves. They were wearing the clothes Neal had described himself as wearing. They were also carrying swords. They then hurried off into the heart of the battle. They fought their way through, looking for Neal.

Sam spotted Neal as the enemy was about to stab him. Neal had the amulet around his neck. Sam and Dean knew, instantly, what they had to do. Sam yelled and charged the man, running his own sword through the man's body. Dean then ripped the necklace from around Neal's neck, throwing it to the ground.

Sam and Dean then pointed toward a portal glowing with a brilliant white light. The three men took off running. Seconds later they looked around. They were back in Neal's apartment. Neal was still asleep in bed and Sam and Dean were standing in the same positions they were in before it all happened.

Neal woke up seconds later, and they all knew that Neal would never have those nightmares again.

THE END


End file.
